JOHN O' GAUNT. 167 



John o' Gaunt had finished second to Discord in 

 the trial at Goodwood, and the approaching con- 

 test between him and Sorella appeared to excite 

 his Lordship more than either of the preceding 

 races upon which he won so largely. For the 

 Queen's Plate there were five runners, including 

 Coranna (a good old horse), and the betting opened 

 at 4 to 1 but closed at 2 to 1 on Sorella, and 5 to 

 1 against John o' Gaunt. Lord George freely con- 

 fessed to me that there was no man whose money 

 he should more like to win than that of Mr Osbal- 

 deston, unless it were that of Mr Charles Greville, 

 for whom his antipathy was still more pronounced. 

 The Queen's Plate distance was two miles, and 

 the orders given to Flat man, who rode John o' 

 Gaunt, were to make the strongest running pos- 

 sible. Flatman obeyed his orders to perfection, 

 making the pace so desperate that all the starters 

 except Sorella pulled up a long way from home, 

 and did not run the course at all. In the end 

 John o' Gaunt won in a canter by three or four 

 lengths. In general, winning or losing produced 

 no visible effect upon Lord George Bentinck ; but 

 on this occasion he did not attempt to conceal his 

 delight. As I led John o' Gaunt back to the 

 weighing - room his Lordship remarked to me, 

 " This is indeed a victory ! The old squire will 

 now have to pay me in coin instead of in lead." 

 His Lordship's winnings upon the three races must 

 have been very considerable, and his outlay in 



